INSIDE
LONGWOOD

ThesiteofLongwood,whichis
about540
metersabovesea
level,wassuggestedbyColonelWilks,
at the arrivalofthefleetofAdmiralCockburnwholedNapoleonandhis
suiteatSt.Helena.Thechoiceseemedobvious
becauseitcombines several advantages for the
purpose
of the detention:

-adistance fromanyother dwelling,thereby reducinganycommunicationwith
theoutside,
- a placeeasy to monitorbecause it is aplateauunprotected
by any sizeable vegetation(andexposedtothe trade winds),
- the proximity toavastplaininwhicharegimentcould beencampedassignedtomonitorandguard the postsaround
aperimeter offreedom.
The perimeter was initially limited to Longwood fields until the first
guard post called Longwood Gate. To the south,there isaravinethatdescendsinto
a valley(theFrenchcalled
itthevalleyof the"Nymph",orthe
valleyof
Silence),andacross
theslope,theguardswereinstalledatsome
distancein
one of thehousesbelongingtoMissMason(thishousewaslater renamedTeutonicLodgeandisnowin ruins).

- 1-9: this part of Longwood House was Napoleon's apartment with
1- his bedroom
2- his study: here he worked
on his memoirs
et also had his first interview with the Governor, sir Hudson Lowe
(note: before 1821, the
disposition of these
two rooms was changed, as room 2 became the bedroom, while room 1
became a lounge with a sofa where Napoleon used to sit for hours)
3- his bathroom
4- the small
service room where his
valet, generally Marchand, would be in waiting
5- the dining-room: it used
to be a room
without window, as all doors would lead to some other room; it is here
that Napoleon would entertain his followers, and sometimes visitors,
for dinner
6- the library,
which
was maintained by Saint-Denis, nicknamed the "mameluk Ali"; in 1815,
the apartment for Montholon's family was not ready yet, so they lived
in this room before it was changed into a library
7- the "salon" where Napoleon and his
guests would
retire after dinner, and where he generally received his visitors; it
is this room, between the two windows (on the left of the diagram, in
room 7), that Napoleon's bed was installed in the last phase of his
illness, and where he died on the evening of the 5th of May
1821
8- the "parlor" or vestibule, where a
billard
table was once installed; the room was mostly used as a waiting room
for visitors, until Napoleon declined to receive any visitor
9- the verandah: from there, Napoleon
used
sometimes to follow, with a lunette, the horse races that were
organised twice a year in the plain of Deadwood, near the army camp; it
is from this verandah that visitors to Napoleon would be
introduced inside the house, to the parlor (waiting room), before being
welcomed into the salon to meet with Napoleon and his officers

- a-e: this part of Longwood House consists of the service rooms and
other common rooms
a- in this inside courtyard
were added some
store rooms
b- a common room for the domestics: it
was built
after 1816 and the domestics installed there the billard table that
Napoleon gave to them, to free up the parlor
c- the kitchen: several
cooks came to work
there in turn; the first one was Lepage, as he came to St Helena with
Napoleon in replacement of the normal cook of the imperial service;
Lepage was not a good cook; he was later assisted by a Belgian cook
woman nicknamed "Jeanette" (she was previously employed at Plantation
House, the Governor's house); she married with Lepage and both left
Longwood in May 1818; then, for some time, Napoleon and his suite had
to get used to... Chinese food, as there was no more cook speaking
French in the island except for La Roche, who remained in the island
for some weeks but left in March 1819; then, in September 1819,
Chandelier, an excellent
cook sent from Rome by Napoleon's sister, Pauline, started his service;
but he had to leave the island a few months later, for health reasons;
Longwood then returned to Chinese food
d- the laundry room: Las Cases and his
son lived
in this room until their habitation was completed; the room was then
used for the laundry service
e- various store rooms

-
Theseotherrooms were
built and completed after 1815; this is where the officers were lodged,
except for Bertrand's family; it is sometimes called the "Generals
rooms":
OO- this room was used by
the
Orderly Officer at Longwood; the first one to live there was Poppleton
from the 53rd Foot Regiment, and the last one was Captain William
Crokat, from the 20th Foot (he then carried the news of Napoleon's
death to the British Government)
G- this room was
Gourgaud's; it also
had a small room next to it, for his valet; Gourgaud left in early
1818; then, in September 1819, Vignali, the junior priest sent from
Rome by the Bonaparte family, was lodged there
LC- this small apartment consisted of three small
rooms:
one was the bedroom for Las Cases and his teenage son, Emmanuel; next
to it was their study room, which led to a third small room, for their
domestic
D- this room was
used by the Doctor
on duty at Longwood; O'Meara lived there until July 1818; he was then
followed by Verling, until Antommarchi arrived in September 1819
M- this set of rooms formed
the apartment
for Montholon's family, to which an extension was added in 1818; then,
after Countess Montholon and her children left the island in July 1819,
the room at the top (on the diagram) was given in September 1819 to
Buonavita, the senior priest sent from Rome